I think Clem sees the strong position he’s negotiating from.
Do you suppose that the blank stare is better than burning eye contact when talking salary? On the other hand, you don’t have to put up with the blank stare or the burning eye contact of the prospective boss if you can’t see those looks… and it’s his fault in the first place that you can’t see those looks.
Of course, doing simple things like making phone calls might get tricky. Maybe the prospective boss would be kind enough to help you out with that! Maybe he’d look up the number for a lawyer or two for you while you’re in the hospital and have gauze over your chemically burned eyes. What a nice guy.